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St. John the Evangelist

Modeler Giuseppe Gricci Italian
ca. 1744
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 550
These two figures (1971.92.1 and .2) are among the most ambitious and finely modeled sculptures produced at the Capodimonte factory. The large scale of the figures is also unusual for the factory, and their successful firing represents an enormous technical achievement. The two figures were modeled by Giuseppe Gricci (1700–1770), one of the greatest of all eighteenth-century porcelain modelers, and this Mourning Virgin is the only Capodimonte figure that bears Gricci's signature.

The Mourning Virgin and Saint John are all the more remarkable because of their early date. The Capodimonte factory was established in 1743, and documents suggest that the Mourning Virgin was produced the following year. Much of the aesthetic impact of these two figures derives from the expressiveness of their poses as well as the skill with which they were modeled. However, the superb quality of the soft-paste porcelain itself plays an important role. Creamy, translucent, and unusually glossy, the porcelain produced at Capodimonte among the most beautiful of all European soft-paste porcelains.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: St. John the Evangelist
  • Manufactory: Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory (Italian, 1740/43–1759)
  • Modeler: Giuseppe Gricci (Italian, ca. 1700–1770)
  • Date: ca. 1744
  • Culture: Italian, Naples
  • Medium: Soft-paste porcelain
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 18 1/4 × 8 × 8 in. (46.4 × 20.3 × 20.3 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Porcelain
  • Credit Line: Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1971
  • Object Number: 1971.92.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
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The Mourning Virgin, Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory Italian, Soft-paste porcelain, Italian, Naples
The Mourning Virgin
Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory
Giuseppe Gricci
ca. 1744
The Pottery Seller, Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory Italian, Soft-paste porcelain, decorated in polychrome enamels, gold, Italian, Naples
The Pottery Seller
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1745
Pair of vases, Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory Italian, Soft-paste porcelain, Italian, Naples
Pair of vases
Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory
1745–50
Saucer (part of a service), Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory Italian, Soft-paste porcelain, Italian, Naples
Saucer (part of a service)
Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory
1743–59
Cup (part of a service), Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory Italian, Soft-paste porcelain, Italian, Naples
Cup (part of a service)
Capodimonte Porcelain Manufactory
1743–59

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